1 Samuel 26:9
New International Version
But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?

New Living Translation
“No!” David said. “Don’t kill him. For who can remain innocent after attacking the LORD’s anointed one?

English Standard Version
But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?”

Berean Standard Bible
But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can lift a hand against the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?”

King James Bible
And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD'S anointed, and be guiltless?

New King James Version
But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him; for who can stretch out his hand against the LORD’s anointed, and be guiltless?”

New American Standard Bible
But David said to Abishai, “Do not kill him, for who can reach out with his hand against the LORD’S anointed and remain innocent?”

NASB 1995
But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can stretch out his hand against the LORD’S anointed and be without guilt?”

NASB 1977
But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can stretch out his hand against the LORD’s anointed and be without guilt?”

Legacy Standard Bible
But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can stretch out his hand against the anointed of Yahweh and be without guilt?”

Amplified Bible
But David said to Abishai, “Do not kill him, for who can put out his hand against the LORD’S anointed [king] and be guiltless (innocent)?”

Christian Standard Bible
But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him, for who can lift a hand against the LORD’s anointed and be innocent? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him, for who can lift a hand against the LORD’s anointed and be blameless?”

American Standard Version
And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not; for who can put forth his hand against Jehovah's anointed, and be guiltless?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And David said to Abishi: “You shall not destroy, because there is none who reaches his hand against the Anointed of LORD JEHOVAH and is innocent!”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And David said to Abessa, Do not lay him low, for who shall lift up his hand against the anointed of the Lord, and be guiltless?

Contemporary English Version
"Don't kill him!" David whispered back. "The LORD will punish anyone who kills his chosen king.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And David said to Abisai: Kill him not: for who shall put forth his hand against the Lord's anointed, and shall be guiltless?

English Revised Version
And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not: for who can put forth his hand against the LORD'S anointed, and be guiltless?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Don't kill him!" David told Abishai. "No one has ever attacked the LORD's anointed king and remained free of guilt.

Good News Translation
But David said, "You must not harm him! The LORD will certainly punish whoever harms his chosen king.

International Standard Version
David told Abishai, "Don't destroy him. Who can raise his hand to strike the LORD's anointed and remain innocent?

JPS Tanakh 1917
And David said to Abishai: 'Destroy him not; for who can put forth his hand against the LORD'S anointed, and be guiltless?'

Literal Standard Version
And David says to Abishai, “Do not destroy him; for who has put forth his hand against the anointed of YHWH and been acquitted?”

Majority Standard Bible
But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can lift a hand against the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?”

New American Bible
But David said to Abishai, “Do not harm him, for who can lay a hand on the LORD’s anointed and remain innocent?

NET Bible
But David said to Abishai, "Don't kill him! Who can extend his hand against the LORD's chosen one and remain guiltless?"

New Revised Standard Version
But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him; for who can raise his hand against the LORD’s anointed, and be guiltless?”

New Heart English Bible
David said to Abishai, "Do not destroy him; for who can put forth his hand against the LORD's anointed, and be guiltless?"

Webster's Bible Translation
And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not; for who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD'S anointed and be guiltless?

World English Bible
David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him, for who can stretch out his hand against Yahweh’s anointed, and be guiltless?”

Young's Literal Translation
And David saith unto Abishai, 'Destroy him not; for who hath put forth his hand against the anointed of Jehovah, and been acquitted?'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
David Again Spares Saul
8Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hand. Now, therefore, please let me thrust the spear through him into the ground with one stroke. I will not need to strike him twice!” 9But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can lift a hand against the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?” 10David added, “As surely as the LORD lives, the LORD Himself will strike him down; either his day will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish.…

Cross References
1 Samuel 10:1
Then Samuel took a flask of oil, poured it on Saul's head, kissed him, and said, "Has not the LORD anointed you ruler over His inheritance?

1 Samuel 24:6
So he said to his men, "The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD's anointed. May I never lift my hand against him, since he is the LORD's anointed."

1 Samuel 24:7
With these words David restrained his men, and he did not let them rise up against Saul. Then Saul left the cave and went on his way.

1 Samuel 26:8
Abishai said to David, "Today God has delivered your enemy into your hand. Now, therefore, please let me thrust the spear through him into the ground with one stroke. I will not need to strike him twice!"

2 Samuel 1:14
So David asked him, "Why were you not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the LORD's anointed?"

2 Samuel 1:16
For David had said to the Amalekite, "Your blood be on your own head because your own mouth has testified against you, saying, 'I killed the LORD's anointed.'"

Psalm 7:4
if I have rewarded my ally with evil, if I have plundered my foe without cause,


Treasury of Scripture

And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD's anointed, and be guiltless?

who can stretch

1 Samuel 24:6,7
And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD'S anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD…

2 Samuel 1:14,16
And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the LORD'S anointed? …

Psalm 105:15
Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.

Jump to Previous
Abishai Abi'shai Acquitted Anointed David Death Destroy Hand Holy Jehovah's LORD's Oil Sin Stretch
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Abishai Abi'shai Acquitted Anointed David Death Destroy Hand Holy Jehovah's LORD's Oil Sin Stretch
1 Samuel 26
1. Saul, by the discovery of the Ziphites, comes to Hachilah against David
4. David coming into the trench keeps Abishai from killing Saul,
11. but takes his spear and jug
13. David reproves Abner
17. and exhorts Saul
21. Saul acknowledges his sin














(9) Against the Lord's anointed.--David--taught, no doubt, by the prophet Samuel--looked upon the person of Saul as made sacred and inviolable by the royal anointing. Through the anointing Saul had become the possession of Jehovah; only Jehovah, then, could lawfully take away that sacred life. This he elaborates in the next verse. It is possible that these exalted sentiments respecting the Divine rights of kings were not uttered by David while standing in the dark night among Saul's soldiers by the sleeping king, but subsequently, when he and Abishai were talking the incident over together.

Verses 9-11. - David forbids the deed as before (1 Samuel 24:6), because of Saul's office. As we there saw, this was an ingrained principle in David's mind on which he constantly acted. Present with equal strength in Saul's mind, it was the cause of moral ruin to the one, and of a noble forbearance and self-control to the other. David therefore leaves him in Jehovah's hand, saying, As Jehovah liveth, Jehovah shall smite him; or his day, etc. Literally, "As Jehovah liveth (I will not smite him), but Jehovah shall smite him; either his day shall come and he shall die; or he shall go down into battle and perish." Whenever he falls, it shall be Jehovah's doing, whether he die a natural death, or a violent one in battle. "The smiting of Jehovah" does not imply a sudden death. God smites men with disease (2 Kings 15:5) and other troubles. What David means is that he will leave the matter entirely to God, but that if Saul's death is to be a violent one, he must fall honourably, not by the hand of a subject, but in battle with Israel's enemies. Jehovah forbid. The same phrase as in 1 Samuel 24:6. Cruse of water. i.e. water bottle, as in 1 Kings 19:6.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
But David
דָּוִ֛ד (dā·wiḏ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1732: David -- perhaps 'beloved one', a son of Jesse

said
וַיֹּ֧אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

Abishai,
אֲבִישַׁ֖י (’ă·ḇî·šay)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 52: Abishai -- 'my father is Jesse', an Israelite name

“Do not
אַל־ (’al-)
Adverb
Strong's 408: Not

destroy him,
תַּשְׁחִיתֵ֑הוּ (taš·ḥî·ṯê·hū)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7843: Perhaps to go to ruin

for
כִּ֠י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

who
מִ֣י (mî)
Interrogative
Strong's 4310: Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix

can lift
שָׁלַ֥ח (šā·laḥ)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7971: To send away, for, out

a hand
יָד֛וֹ (yā·ḏōw)
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 3027: A hand

against the LORD’s
יְהוָ֖ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

anointed
בִּמְשִׁ֥יחַ (bim·šî·aḥ)
Preposition-b | Adjective - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4899: Anointed, a consecrated person, the Messiah

and be guiltless?”
וְנִקָּֽה׃ (wə·niq·qāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5352: To be, clean, to be bare, extirpated


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OT History: 1 Samuel 26:9 David said to Abishai Don't destroy him (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 26:8
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